Giannis Antetokounmpo calls out Tyrese Haliburton’s father for disrespectful taunts

Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's father John approached Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and taunted him after the game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo calls out Tyrese Haliburton’s father for disrespectful taunts

Giannis Antetokounmpo calls out Tyrese Haliburton's father

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks exited the playoffs in the first round for the second straight season at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. Even though reporters want to know about the Greek Freak’s future, their questions were directed at the post-game argument with Tyrese Haliburton‘s father.

The Indiana Pacers star dribbled past the former Defensive Player of the Year to score the game-winning layup. The overtime victory saw the home team sail past the 2021 champions to earn a ticket to the second round, where they will face the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

After that sequence, John Haliburton unfurled a towel bearing his son’s face and walked up onto the court. He then held the towel for Antetokounmpo to see and started talking trash. His teammates came onto the court to take him away from a potential argument.

But soon after dapping up Tyrese Haliburton and a couple of other Pacers players, he was back to have the final say to the former women’s basketball coach. Reporters at the post-game press conference asked the Greek international about the confrontation, and he said this-

I believe in being humble in victory. A lot of people out there that are like: ‘No, when you win the game, you talk s**t and it’s a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else.’ I disagree. I’ve won a championship, they haven’t.

Giannis Antetokounmpo said

The two-time league MVP added that his mother, who attends most of his games, is scared to cross onto the court. Not especially when players from both sides are still on the court. Among players, it is all right during games. But he believes John Haliburton was disrespectful, especially with the way he behaved in those moments.

John Haliburton issues an apology

Tyrese Haliburton learnt about the altercation after the game. During his post-game presser, he made it clear that his father was wrong to trash-talk Giannis Antetokounmpo. A couple of hours after the dust settled, John Haliburton issued an apology on X.

I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight’s game. This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.

John Haliburton wrote

The basketball referee and former coach understood the situation had gone too far. Maybe he was motivated to issue this apology after the Greek Freak confronted him. His son’s apology also probably pushed him to understand where he went wrong.

As the 30-year-old mentioned, he is an NBA champion and knows how it feels both to win and lose. The Indiana Pacers have never won an NBA title. Even if they did, he believes it does not give them the right to disrespect their opponents.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wife sends him support

This entire fiasco initially sounded as if Giannis Antetokounmpo was starting altercations to vent his frustrations. But soon, when clips showed that it was Tyrese Haliburton’s father who initiated the altercation, fan opinion started to shift. At this time, the Bucks star’s wife, Mariah Antetokounmpo, shared this message on her Instagram page.

Look at this life you created! We love you μπαμπάς (dad). You make us proud every single day.

Mariah Antetokounmpo wrote

The mother of three knows how emotionally charged her husband can be. Her words were a way to calm him down and remind him of how grateful they are for the life that they have. Unsurprisingly, it was similar to the message her husband was sending to John Haliburton, that one should be grateful and humble for all that they have.

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